A while back, I took a look at the new infotainment system being introduced by Toyota and Lexus by spending some time with the Lexus version of the system in the 2022 NX. I now have the opportunity to explore the Toyota version of the system optimized for more heavy-duty vehicles in the form of the 2022 Tundra pickup.
Like the Lexus NX, the Toyota Tundra comes with an optional 14-inch screen that was included on the 1794 trim I was able to test. But instead of devoting a significant portion of the display to software climate control like the NX, the Tundra turns its entire screen over to infotainment while offering more traditional hardware climate control below the screen.
The result is an absolutely vast palette for infotainment, including wireless CarPlay. Instead of the relatively extreme widescreen layout of CarPlay on the NX, the Tundra offers a slightly more traditional aspect ratio, although the Tundra’s larger screen size and higher resolution means CarPlay is still able to be displayed in two information-rich layouts. A row of five icons on the home screen, a wide view on the map and more.
Overall, Toyota’s infotainment system offers bright, crisp graphics and an overall clean look with both dark and light modes depending on choice. As I highlighted in my review of the NX, the new infotainment system forgoes the home screen or dashboard view, limiting the view to one function at a time. A small strip on the left side of the screen makes it easy to switch between functions such as navigation, audio, phone, vehicle controls, settings and CarPlay (when connected).
When CarPlay is active, it takes over the entire screen, which is visually pleasing for an immersive CarPlay experience but makes switching back to the native system a bit awkward. With as much real estate as the Tundra’s infotainment screen has, I wish Toyota had saved that strip on the left side for quick access to native infotainment functionality.
Toyota is one of a growing number of automakers to add support for direct streaming of Apple Music content from the domestic infotainment system. A few other automakers like Porsche and Audi are introducing it, and it’s good to see it trickle down to more mainstream brands. The Toyota supports direct streaming of Apple Music and Amazon Music content, and while it may seem a bit redundant and redundant it’s native to the system for the features it offers.
Beyond the main infotainment screen, Toyota vehicles have extended ‘CarPlay’ integration to additional screens such as digital cockpits and head-up displays. Audio track information from CarPlay has long been supported on such additional screens, but it’s only been in the last year or so that support for Apple Maps navigation prompts has begun to roll out in the same way.
On the left side of the digital cockpit is Apple MapsIt’s definitely handy to have these navigation prompts on the head-up display to limit driver distraction, and having them in the digital cockpit helps for those times when you’ve moved away from CarPlay and Apple Maps on the main screen but still want them. Turn by turn directions.
‘Apple Maps’ directions on the head-up displayMy test Tundra came with a wireless phone charger where the console meets the center stack, making it easy to put your phone down and still have it visible when needed. The charger is a simple angled surface with a cushioned bottom edge where your phone rests and a plastic ridge to align your phone and keep it from moving out of place as the car moves.
Unfortunately, despite the completely different design of the charger, I ran into some of the same charging issues with the NX. Charging my iPhone 14 Pro Max with Apple’s fairly thin leather case didn’t work on the Toyota charger, only briefly registering a charge for a few seconds before losing connection. Even without a case, I couldn’t charge my phone reliably. An iPhone 13 Pro Max didn’t perform as well with a case on, but did well without a case.
It appears that flat charging surfaces like the Tundra and NX are struggling with the increasingly large rear camera bumps on Apple’s iPhone models. Bumps prevent phones from being flush against the charging surface, and the gap created by the area of the charging coils significantly interferes with the ability to maintain a charging connection. Apple and many third-party companies have addressed this issue by embracing MagSafe and MagSafe-compatible solutions that focus on small charging surfaces that only contact the phone immediately after the charging coil, bypassing camera barriers entirely.
Hopefully it’s only a matter of time before automakers start adopting MagSafe-like solutions for wireless charging, as the magnets will offer many advantages in terms of initial alignment and fit between the phone and charger and stability while in the car. . The possibility looks even more likely with the next-generation Qi2 charging standard’s adoption of MagSafe’s power profile and magnetic alignment, meaning automakers will be able to offer a single wireless charger in their vehicles that can magnetically dock multiple brands of phones.
Not all iPhones support MagSafe, and it will take a while for Qi2 to spread to the user base of different brands, so it remains to be seen how things will work out. But for all the promise of a wireless phone experience in the car, the phone charging aspect remains the weakest link in the chain in my experience.
Only charge USB-A and USB-C ports on the center consoleIf you prefer a wired USB connection, the Tundra offers you a number of options, though the only data port you’ll find for using wired CarPlay is a USB-A port that sits prominently on the dashboard, meaning you’ll have to leave your cable hanging. If charging is all you need, you’ll find more options throughout the cabin, including a USB-C port and a USB-A port inside the spacious center console compartment, and another set of USB-C/USB-A ports for rear passengers. Behind the console. My Tundra was equipped with a 120V power outlet in that location for larger power needs.
Charge only USB-A and USB-C for rear passengersOverall, I really appreciate that the Tundra has kept the hardware climate controls, making them intuitive and easy to use by general feel, and also frees up space on the main display for infotainment use. Full-screen CarPlay on the 14-inch display is a real treat, though like I said, I’d have preferred that a little bit of screen real estate be kept back from CarPlay and used as a control strip for the native system to be easier to move around.
One of the advantages of modern infotainment systems is that many of them, like Toyota’s, can receive over-the-air updates to refine them and add new features over time, so hopefully we’ll have something to improve things for users willing to access both. I will see the change. ‘CarPlay’ and the native system.
Like most pickups, the Tundra is available in several trims with a variety of options that span a wide price range. It starts under $40,000, but it gets you a much smaller 8-inch Toyota Audio multimedia infotainment system without the ability to upgrade to a 14-inch screen. To get the 14-inch screen, at a minimum you’ll need the SR5 trim with the $9,000 TRD Sport Premium Package or the Limited, both of which cost over $50,000. Other features like the head-up display and rear USB port require even higher-level packages and/or trim.
